21st Century Pillow Book

Good Monday morning! I have been sick with a gross cold since Friday, so this is going to be a short post, as my head is still in a fog due to lack of medicine (ah, the things we do to nurse our children!). I chose to make a layout using Dani’s Twilight Tuesday Sketch Challenge #2. It worked out perfectly for what I wanted to do… I really love this page. I love how clean the original sketch was, so I didn’t want to disrupt it with a lot of embellishments. Plus, these are some of my absolute fave pictures of Rhiannon, (I must have taken about 25 in this one sitting!) so I really wanted to just focus on them. And her shirt is just so rockin’! Remember to click n the photos to see them bigger! Cardstock is from Prism and American Crafts. “Cherish” stamp is from Heidi Swapp, and it’s embossed in silver. Marker is from EK Success. Some of the other TTIC girls made projects for today too! Donna Rebecca Beth Dani Margie Julie Tonya (check her blog out this afternoon for her proje...

I am SOOOOOO excited!!! I have some awesome news to share! I am on a brand new Design Team! It’s for Smeared and Smudged , which is a place “dedicated to focusing on alternative art styling and unique ways to use rubber stamps. If you enjoy creating art using gothic, alternative, vintage, or out-of-the norm stamp images, you” belong with us!!! If you’ve been on my blog for more than a day, then you probably realized that I’m not your typical crafter…. I like to do weird, creepy, and out of the ordinary. You won’t find too many super cute and sweet things here. Yeah, I do that stuff sometimes, but my heart belongs to the, well… the strange! So I am thrilled to be a part of this up and coming group. I would love it if you visited the Smeared and Smudged Blog , and the Smeared and Smudged ning Group . This is going to be so much fun for me, and I hope that some of you will join this rad group. With this DT, and the TTIC DT, I sure am going to have my hands full (in a good way of cou...

Happy Tuesday! The regular Twilight Tuesday Team is off for Thanksgiving, but if you recall, last Tuesday we mentioned that I had come up with a special New Moon project for you. Here’s what I wrote last week: “Hey Twilighters! The time has come! The wait is over! New Moon is going to be released THIS WEEK!!! I’m betting that a lot of you have big plans; I know I do! But here’s the thing, we at TTIC don’t want to just hear about your experience with the movie, we want to see it!!! So pack up your camera and TAKE PHOTOS of your New Moon experience! Pics while you’re waiting in line, of you and your Twi-friends, and even the afterglow of seeing all your fave Twi-boys! Then, pull out your die cut machines, your snazzy embellishments and make a layout! Journal about your night out! Show us those awesome photos! Scrap your movie tickets! Let’s all get scrappin’!!! This challenge will be due on December 1st , so for those of you that aren’t going to see the flick opening...

I enjoy working on sketch challenges from time to time. Especially when I can’t figure out what to do for a certain project… They can really come in handy! TTIC is doing a review of all of Dani’s wonderful sketches this week (regular TTIC is taking a break for Thanksgiving), so I wanted to share one with you today. I decided to use Sketch Challenge #14. But, I didn’t want to make a card. I have sooooo many layouts that I need to make, so I decided to turn this sketch sideways and make a scrapbook page out of it! Please click on the photo to see it bigger! This photo was taken in October. My family of four decided to visit a couple of local nurseries by us for their Fall Festivals. This is one of my favorite things to do in the Fall! So, here we are, Me and My Pumpkins, enjoying the day. The only thing I don’t like about this photo, is that Gene isn’t in it. Otherwise, I think it’s a really cute page! I liked Dani’s original sketch, but like I said, I have a ton of layouts to make...

My AWESOME friend Dani from TTIC gave me a blog award! How cool is that?!?! Thank you so much Dani!!! In this award, you are asked to pass this on to 5 others, post on their blog to let them know, and answer a list of questions in ONE word. 1. Where is your cell phone? Pocket 2. Your hair? Blue 3. Your Mother? Cleaning 4. Your Father? Missed 5. Your favorite food? Pizza 6. Your dream last night? Gene 7. Your favorite drink? Milk 8. Your dream/goal? Success 9. What room are you in? Office 10. Your hobby? Crafting 11. Your fear? Drowning 12. Where do you want to be in 6 years? Home 13. Where were you last night? Home 14. Something that you aren't. Subtle 15. Muffins? Yum 16. Wish list item? Supplies 17. Where did you grow up? Long Island 18. Last thing you did? Blogged 19. What are you wearing? Clothes 20. Your TV? Off 21. Your Pets? Delinquent 22. Friends? Few 23. Your Life? Creative 24. Your Mood? Happy 26. Vehicle? PT Cruiser ...

It’s here! It’s finally here! New Moon is out and ready to be watched by it’s bagillion adoring fans. By the time you read this post, I will have been one of the lucky ones who already made the pilgrimage to the theatre, to see not only New Moon, but Twilight again as well!!! A quick reminder, I am participating in TWO blog hops today, so PLEASE make sure you check out both of my posts! The Artful INKables hop is after this post!!! You should be coming to me from Joy Kennedy’s blog . If not, then hop over to Twilight Tuesday to start at the beginning! On to my creation… You guys know I love making cards… and you know I love scrapbooking… but I just wasn’t feelin’ it for this hop. I wanted to go back to my roots. My first love. My jewelry. So I pulled out like 7 of my 16 bead boxes and got to work. I pulled inspiration from a bunch of places, but let’s take a peek at what I made before I go into the explanations, shall we? Please click on any of the photos to see them BIGGE...

Happy New Moon Release Day!!! To celebrate, I am participating in TWO HUGE HOPS!!! So, please make sure you check out both of my posts for today!!! Welcome to the third stop of the  Twilight Artful INKables blog hop! Make sure you start at the Artful INKables Blog , so you don't miss a single thing! You should be coming to me from my good friend (and fellow TTIC Design Team Member) Margie’s blog . To celebrate the release of NEW MOON today, we're highlighting the Artful INKables Twilight inspired sets: Into the Moonlight and Fictionally Inspired . Artful INKables also has a set of Vampire Romance Themed Charms available ! Artful INKables is also sponsoring Twilight Tuesday’s Hop that include Twilight Prizes!!! I decided that even though I am positively Team Edward (I love Jake, don’t get me wrong… but I am ALL about the Vamps!), I should make a card for the Wolf Girls out there. Namely, my sister Pam and my Official Book Buddy Beth! I used the Twilight Tuesday Sk...

In less then 7 hours from now… I will be sitting in a blackened theatre, with my Sis Pam and my BFF Terry and about 100 oogling females. Tonight, we see Twilight at 9PM, and New Moon directly after at the stroke of midnight. I am not one who normally goes to midnight showings… I don’t even like to catch a new flick within the first couple of weeks of it’s opening. But, this is different. I don’t get to go out too often, and as far as going to the movies? Well my friends, Twilight was the last movie I saw at the theatre! Hello??? That was like, a year ago! I needed this little bit of Alison time. Things have been pretty stressful around here, and what better way to blow off some steam then to see a bunch of vampires? Well I suppose I could think of a couple of other things that would be better… but we won’t go there. ;} So the three of us will ride off in to the night, 2 of us decked out in some of our finest vampy attire, whilst our adrenaline pulses through us like heroine. We will b...

Happy Tuesday! Just a couple more days until New Moon is theatres!!! Are you as excited as I am??? There are a TON of awesome things happening over at Twilight Tuesday . If you’re a Twi-fan… them you are going to LOVE what’s coming up! But first, this week’s challenge… thought up by sweet Eve. She asked us to create a monochromatic card using a Twilight inspired color. I actually thought that this was a pretty tough challenge for me. I never work monochromatically. I love mixing colors together way too much! But I’ve gotta say, it really came together quite nicely! Here’s my card: I had colored this fantabulous digi (Yes folks, I have tip-toed in to the digi world. Shhh! Don’t tell anyone I’m here!!!) from The Greeting Farm last week. I saw him and just HAD to color him! I mixed my own pearly paint using acrylic (Ceramcoat) and shimmer powder (Jacquard). The consistency of the paint is a little off, but I’m working on fixing it. Then it was all about the colored pencils! I love how ...

Woah! 2 posts in one day??? I think that’s happened only 1 other time! If you didn’t see my first post for today, please scroll down and check it out!!! So, I’m in love with The Greeting Farm . I love the “Sprouts.” They are adorable! Which is so weird… I don’t o adorable. It’s just not really my thing. I like creepy and weird. Cute? Not so much. I’d rather see other people tackle cute. But TGF has won me over, and there ain’t no goin’ back! This little guy really inspired me. As soon as I saw him, I knew what I wanted to do. No challenges involved, just me and my mind. And, it came out exactly how I wanted it to! I really wanted the “Relax” to be soft and barely there… which I think I achieved! I wanted the colors to all be quiet and serene, except for his wild hair! Oh, little Jasper is colored in using colored pencils. I live all the options you have with them. You can layer and blend, or let the tooth of the paper show through as I did with his hair. I thought it added to the wi...

It’s the beginning of a new week. Not just any week… New Moon week! But surprisingly, that’s not what this post is about. I’m writing today about a gift I received. A very special and thoughtful gift. My friend Julie (from TTIC) makes some of the most amazing cards I’ve ever seen. And I’m lucky enough to have received a couple of them, so I know first hand how magnificent they are. But, recently I got an unexpected package in the mail from her. What was inside? I’ll let the photo speak to you… This journal was not purchased. It was MADE. Not embellished. CREATED. From SCRATCH. Julie made this gorgeous journal for little me. It is a work of art. She cut the paper, bound it, stamped and inked… There is so much work that goes in to making a journal. And she was sweet enough to spend her time making one for me. Jealous? You should be! :} But here’s the good news! You can buy one of these beauties for yourself!!! Just go to here Etsy store ! And, you can take a swing by her bl...

It’s time for Fandom Friday again at Twilight Tuesday ! This week we get to focus on Zsadist, the scary/cool Brother! There will be spoilers! Here’s what Beth wrote over at TTIC : Zsadist’s story is told in the third Black Dagger Brotherhood book, Lover Awakened . Z is easily the most hardened of the Black Dagger Brothers. After being kidnapped from his crib, and his family (including his twin brother Phury) as an infant and sold into blood slavery, his life was irretrievably altered and his soul seemingly damaged beyond repair. Enter Bella. This is an incredibly intense story ~ and one that will run your emotions through the full spectrum. Craft Portion : Create a project that captures the dichotomy that is Zsadist. Sociopathic killer, or damaged sensitive soul? Choose your canvas and run with it… Comment Portion : Do you see Z as the soulless killer, or the redeemable antihero? He certainly invokes varied emotions from those around him – what do you feel when you read his ...

Can you believe it??? It’s almost time for the release of New Moon!!! I cannot wait for this movie to come out! And, to add to the celebration, Twilight Tuesday is having a blog hop!!! So??? Who’s with me??? Go to Twilight Tuesday now!!!

Happy Tuesday! It’s time for another Twilight Tuesday Inspiration Challenge. I am SO in love with this challenge… if I have time, I may have to make some other cards to go along with it. So what’s it about this week? It’s Rebecca’s turn and here is what she wrote: Hey Twerds and Twihards! Its me { Rebecca } bringing you this week’s challenge! In New Moon, we really get to know more about the “pack” and some of the Quileute traditions. In Quileute legend, the Raven is the trickster figure in Quileute Indian culture. His name is pronounced similar to bah-yuck in Quileute. (I found that tidbit somewhere on the internet!) Raven is a shapechanger, who could assume any form – human or animal. The Raven is a clever and generally benign figure who sometimes helps humankind, but he also has many character traits that are viewed negatively in Quileute culture (greed, laziness, arrogance, deceitfulness, and rudeness) and many traditional legends have to do with Raven misbehaving and getting into ...

I had pondered for quite some time trying to figure out what in the world to make Gene for our Anniversary. I even started a thread with my beloved Twi-Girls about it! They were such a huge help! Now, I am armed with some really great gift ideas! But, I decided in the end to make him a layout from our Wedding. I used two of my favorite pictures. Gene and I had a Handfasting Ceremony. Know the phrase “tying the knot?” Well, this is where it comes from! See how our hands are bound? Click on the photo to make it bigger! It symbolizes the union of two people. It is supposed to remain tied forever. Our knot is now in a shadowbox with our Wedding certificate. So that’s where the title comes from. The other photo of us I love too. It’s just pretty and romantic. Plus, I have on my gorgeous cape! These ribbons are actually from the Wedding! I had some leftover (ok, a lot leftover!) from the bouquets that we made (yup, my Mom and I made ALL of the flower arrangements!), so I thought it would...

Wow! I can hardly believe that I have actually gotten to 100 posts! I didn’t even want a blog a few short months ago… now, I’m so happy I have one! I love being able to share my creations, my kids, my thoughts…all of these things with you! Here’s to the next 100!!! So I have been wanting to make this card for a certain someone for weeks now. Really. Weeks. I just didn’t want to do it in October, as I was focusing more one Halloween. I thought that this card would be better suited for November, as I am very thankful for this person. Plus, she’s not really in to the Halloween thing, so I wanted to make sure I gave this to her well after the Holiday. Plus, it just so happens to fit right in to TWO challenges that I’ve seen this week! The first challenge was with The Pink Elephant Challenge #39 . The challenge was to use Brown, Yellow, Neutral and Color of your choice. Cool. I’m in. The second was with Flourishes Timeless Tuesday Challenge(FTTC40 ). You needed to use a colored in image, te...

It’s Tuesday again! And this isn’t just any Tuesday… it’s the Tuesday that I get to pick the next Twilight Tuesday Inspiration Challenge !!! Do you have any idea how excited I am?!?!?! Here is my challenge… I am so excited to be bringing you my second challenge! This one is a little different, because you get the opportunity to make yourself the subject! Spoiler alert! Don't continue reading if you haven't finished the Twilight Saga!!! In Breaking Dawn, Bella transforms from human to vampire. In life, we all go through changes...though not as severe as Bella's! What kind of changes have you physically gone through? Cut off all your hair? Dye it blue (like me?)? Nose job? Pregnancy? Lost a lot of weight? We just celebrated Halloween... did you or someone you know wear a costume that transformed them to being unrecognizable? Craft Challenge : Create something that narrates a physical change you've gone through Comment Challenge : Tell us about your change, or a change...